Castleton Primary School

Overview

Castleton Primary School is fulfilling the expected standard of education. The report describes a school where leaders have successfully improved curriculum and teaching, particularly in mathematics and writing, resulting in pupil achievement that is now close to the national average. Pupils feel safe, valued, and well-prepared for their next stage of education within a harmonious community.

Strengths

• Leaders have established an "open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility," ensuring pupils are made safer and feel safe.
• The curriculum prioritises "core knowledge in mathematics, reading and writing," with a new writing curriculum giving pupils more opportunities to write at length.
• Staff effectively support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, using "high-quality training" to improve expertise in communication and language development.
• Attendance and punctuality are improving due to systems that help leaders "understand and address barriers that lead to pupils not attending school."
• Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and treat others with care, contributing to a community where bullying is rare.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should embed the approach to attendance so that "persistent absence reduces" further, as rates remain above the national average.
• Staff should ensure pupils "secure their knowledge across the curriculum" and have opportunities to apply this learning in lessons, as some workbooks do not fully represent prior learning.
• Early years staff should continue to secure children’s foundational knowledge, especially in early writing, to better prepare them for Key Stage 1.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders fulfilling their responsibilities and establishing an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.